Mental health issues and coping strategies among resident physicians amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Frontline healthcare workers, including resident physicians, are at risk of acquiring mental health issues as a result of providing care during infectious outbreaks of COVID- 19 pandemic. These mental health issues can have an impact on the healthcare workers' well-being and their ability to effectively respond to the situation at hand. This descriptive-correlational study involved 70 respondents aimed to determine the mental health issues and coping strategies among resident physicians working in a private hospital in Iloilo City, Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were gathered through a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale, adapted from the CISS-21 and the DASS-21 and were subjected to descriptive analysis and test of the relationship. The findings showed that resident physicians were mostly young adults and most of them were in their first year of residency. The majority of the participants were female and single. The results showed that the resident physicians were experiencing very low to low levels of mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the most common coping strategy used was avoidance-oriented coping. The study also found that mental health issues were not related to the profile of the resident physicians but were related to the specific area or department they worked in. Moreover, the respondents’ profile were unrelated with their coping strategies. Resident physicians that are experiencing mental health issues like depression tend to use emotional-oriented coping. To maintain good mental health and prevent stress and burnout, the resident physicians need to use coping strategies that do not exacerbate their current situation. Poor coping mechanisms can be detrimental to physical and mental health and hinder their ability to provide quality care to patients.